This Application is related to the following Applications:
PLAY LIST MANAGER, by Daniel Benyamin, et al., filed the same day as the present application, Ser. No. 09/521,874; and
VEHICLE SOUND SYSTEM, by Dannie C. Lau, et al., filed the same day as the present application, Ser. No. 09/521,186.
Each of these related Applications are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a server for audio/visual data.
2. Description of the Related Art
The automobile audio industry is a growing and successful industry. Most automobiles sold include some type of audio system. For example, many automobiles include a radio, a cassette player and/or a compact disc player. Some automobile audio systems include a disc changer. A disc changer is a device that can hold more than one audio disc and can be used to play songs from any of the discs being stored in the disc changer. Typical disc changers are separate components of a stereo system and can hold six, eight or ten discs such that the disks can be inserted in and removed from the disc changer separately. Examples of disc changers includes audio compact disc changers, audio minidisk changers and CD-ROM disc changers.
Part of the reason that automobile audio systems are so popular is because many people want to hear music while they are driving. While listening to a radio is sufficient for many people, a growing number of drivers prefer to pick and choose what music they will listen to. These drivers prefer audio systems that include a tape deck or a compact disc player.
Although there are many audio systems with a compact disc player or tape deck available to the public, these audio systems have drawbacks. First, these systems can only store a limited amount of music. That is, a system with a tape deck can only store the maximum amount of music that fits on a tape, which often is sixty minutes or one hundred and twenty minutes. Compact discs typically hold approximately seventy four minutes of music. Thus, these devices have a limited amount of music that can be stored. Second, if a user is listening to a first tape or compact disc and chooses to listen to a different tape or compact disc that is not already stored in the player, the user must remove the compact disc or tape and insert a different one. This can be a difficult and dangerous maneuver while driving an automobile. Third, tape decks and compact disc players require physical media. Although music can be stored on a computer""s memory, prior art stereos require tapes or compact discs for each set of songs. Thus, extra resources are wasted manufacturing and purchasing the media. Fourth, the media is vulnerable. For example, compact discs can scratch or break. Cassettes can wear out or break.
Additionally, there is a new trend to order music online. That is, consumers can purchase music over the Internet by downloading the music. As downloading music becomes more popular, consumers will want to play this downloaded music in their automobiles. An automobile stereo that includes a compact disc player to play music requires the user to purchase a compact disc recorder and burn a compact disc in order to play the downloaded music. Thus, there is a need for an improved automobile audio system that does not require cassettes or compact discs, can be used with reusable media and can play music downloaded from a computer or other device.
One solution that is currently available is the portable solid state music player, which uses flash memory to store music files in digitally compressed formats. Some of these devices include a removable memory such as compact flash card. The compact flash card can be removed from the player and inserted into a compact flash card reader which is connected to a computer. Other music players connect directly to a computer for downloading music. These portable solid state music players typically are shipped with headphones for listening to the music. Alternatively, a user can purchase an adapter so that the output of the music player connects to the cassette input of an automobile stereo. While this solution solves some of the problems identified above, using the portable solid state music player with an automobile stereo is not satisfactory. First, sending the sound signal through the cassette deck causes a degradation in sound quality. Second, using a solid state music player with a car stereo as described above can be dangerous because all of the controls are on the portable player, rather than on the dashboard or another convenient location for the driver. Third, while music can be sent from the portable player to the car stereo, the car stereo cannot communicate back to a music player so the user is unable to use the controls of the car stereo to control the music player. Additionally, many portable music players tend to have a limited amount of storage, there is no convenient location to store the music player while driving and the solution is not available if there is no tape deck.
Another solution includes an in-dash car stereo which plays music stored in MP3 format. This solution, however, has drawbacks. First, to store music on the stereo, the entire stereo is removed from the vehicle which can be difficult and can break the stereo. Second, the stereo does not work with a disk changer; therefore, a user who has a collection of compact disks or minidisks can no longer use the collection. Third, use of this solution requires removal of all prior audio equipment. Thus, a user who has invested in a prior stereo loses the entire investment
Thus, there is a need for an improved automobile audio system.
The present invention, roughly described, provides for an audio/visual server system that can be used to store and play audio/visual data. In one embodiment, the audio/visual server stores music, emulates a disc changer, and communicates with an audio head unit. The interface with the head unit is programmable so that multiple head units can be supported.
In another embodiment, the audio/visual server system of the present invention includes a dock adapted to be connected to an audio/visual data providing device, an audio/visual server adapted to be in bidirectional communication with an audio/visual head unit and a first storage device capable of being removably connected to both the dock and the audio/visual server. The first storage device stores audio/visual data. An example of the first storage device can be a removable hard disk drive. In one embodiment, the audio/visual server performs a method comprising the steps of receiving a request from the head unit to send music information to the head unit, reading audio/visual data from the first storage device and sending audio/visual information to the head unit in response to the request from the head unit. The audio/visual information sent to the head unit could be an analog signal or a digital signal. In one embodiment, the audio/visual server plays the audio/visual data and sends the output to the head unit.
Another embodiment of the present invention includes an input connector, one or more readable and writeable storage devices capable of storing user replaceable interface program code, an output connector connected to the head unit, and one or more processors. The storage devices also store the audio/visual data. At least one of the processors engages in two-way communication with the head unit based on the replaceable interface program code. In one embodiment, the replaceable interface program code is loaded on the server by downloading the code from a computer to a removable hard disk drive (or other media). The removable hard disk drive is then connected to the server for loading the code on the server.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in conjunction with the drawings.